I Want to Smell Like Jesus

One of the things I loved about having no electricity for a week was the fact that it gave me an excuse to use all the wonderful fragrant candles I have. I even bought a few more just so we could have a little extra light in the evenings. And oh, did my house smell good! My husband really got into it too, and now he is a big fan of scented candles.

Another fragrant indulgence I have is shower gels from Bath and Body Works. My daughter and I wait until they go on sale and then we stock up for the next 6 months. I actually have a cabinet full of shower gels and lotions that smell like every flower and fruit under the sun. It is also handy to have then available for the last minute gifts. I guess I just like to smell good.

I've been meditating on the words of 2 Corinthians this week.

14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?

I have never thought of myself as smelling good to God. My prayer is that He uses me to be the good-smelling candle in the lives of those who are in darkness. I want to smell like the fragrance of one who knows Him personally. I want God to breathe in and say, Yes, this smells wonderful!

The sunlight conquers darkness-gradually

Have you ever watch the sun come up? A sunrise is the most glorious if you are in the country or on the beach away for the light pollution of the city. Either way, it's an amazing thing to watch. It's interesting how the sunlight conquers the darkness little by little. It's doesn't suddenly become daylight like a switch being turned on. It's gradual. And, there is no doubt that the sun will shine. We don't have to stand at the window each morning wondering if the sun will come up; we have faith that it will. We expect it to arrive. You can go about your everyday life while the sun is coming up. You can fix breakfast, make your bed, watch the early news, take a shower - anything you need to do. It never occurs to us to "worry" about whether or not we will see sunlight.

That's the way it is with expecting change in our life. Most of the time, change doesn't happen instantly. You can't lose 20 pounds by snapping your fingers (though I wish I could). You can't improve your relationship with you husband or children in one day. After all, such problems usually don't develop in just one day. Most change takes time but that time is wasted if it is spent worrying about whether or not the change is coming. Also, that time is wasted if you just sit and do nothing while you're waiting for it. Go ahead with your responsibilities, recreation, work, worship, day-to-day life. Change will happen when you seek God and his will for your life. Your relationship with the Creator of the universe becomes deeper gradually. Be patient. God will answer your prayer. Happiness and joy will arrive - in God's time. After all, the sun comes up little by little every morning, doesn't it?

2 Corinthians 3:18 (The Message)
And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

Getting wet

There was a song we sang in church when I was a little girl written by Daniel Whittle in 1883 called Showers of Blessing. It's based on Ezekiel 34:26. Here are the words:

There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!


There shall be showers of blessing,
If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
If we let God have His way.


I have a perennial flower bed planted on the South side of my house. I've tried to plant several kinds of flowers right up next to my house that would grow tall any maybe even vine up the bricks. While I've been able to establish plants that grow several feet away from the wall, nothing grows well right up next to the wall. Why? It's because of the overhang of our roof that sticks out about three feet. It keeps the rain off the plants and consequently they usually dry out quickly, fail to thrive and eventually die. Even though I plant low maintenance (meaning drought tolerant) plants, they still need more rain than they get under the overhang. Those plants aren't positioned to receive the showers God is sending them. The showers of blessings would nourish and refresh them enabling them to be the beautiful flowers God intended them to be.

The same is true for us. God sends showers of blessings our way constantly. The problem is that we are often not positioned to receive them. We've planted ourselves under the overhang through our disobedience to His Word and our self-centered life styles. Positioning ourselves for showers of blessings means we follow the commandments Jesus spelled out for us in Matt:22:36-40:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

Surrendering your whole heart, soul and mind to God and loving your neighbor as much as you love yourself may sound like an impossible task. Actually it is. It can only be done as a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. The good news is that if we ask for His help to be obedient to his commandments, He is faithful to change our hearts in a way that we could never think possible. Also, if you're like me, you have to ask for His help to be obedient daily. That's OK. Ask daily. Otherwise, the rain will never get you wet. Go ahead, position yourself for a good shower.